Like the dryads or the naiads, the Cloud Shepherds - also called nimbiads - are the personifications of nature. Rather than spirits, they are people who come down from the sky. They often cavort with the gods amongst the cloud islands they call home. Only during the dry seasons do they come down to the world to weep with the grasses for rains. They generally appear like small wisps of smoke or vapour, possibly with small arcs of lightning or rumbles of thunder, but they can appear as an alabaster skinned person with blue eyes and lips, and pure white hair. When enraged they turn a very dark grey with lightning yellow hair. These humanoid forms are still quite fragile, so the nimbiads often shy away from mortals who they see as violent and dangerous.
The cloud shepherds are different from their cousins who are one with trees or streams, the cloud shepherds are born with the season, and are as mercurial as the cloud themselves. True to their monikers they tend to the clouds as a whole, rather than each care take a single cloud. They are aware of the grazing patterns of clouds, knowing they must feed over large bodies of water, but if they glut themselves too deeply, they burst into storms. Nimbiads prefer to keep their clouds alive as long as possible, trying to keep them fat and happy and floating over the lands. It is possible, though rare, that humans or orcs have enslaved one or more cloud shepherds in order to feed their fields. This has often lead to deep and bloody retribution, and the orcs have fought great wars to keep a cloud shepherd they've captured.
Within the clouds, the rains, the lightning, and winds grow into the spirits themselves. As they grow the clouds fatten and grow dark, until they burst into storms of rain, wind, and thunder and level an area if they can. Most Cloud Shepherds consider this kind of burst a mistake. They prefer to nurture the spirits within the clouds themselves, and then release them to frolic in the skies. As they are the midwives of the storm spirits, they command great respect over storms. The storms pay fealty to them, respecting them as a patron. Due to the respect of storms, sailors of course will leave out a bottle of spirits for the Nimbiads before a long voyage, both groups enjoy the booze and the joke.
Wisp Form: Cloud Shepherds do not properly have bodies in their natural state. They can only be captured by a weapon or net that can catch clouds (this generally means an enchanted weapon, though not a spirit weapon). They cannot pick up anything, and they can only touch other clouds. They can take human form for an number of hours equal to their Forte per day, while they are in human form they can still stand upon and hold clouds.
Patron Of Storms: Cloud Shepherds are considered royalty by all of the trappings of Storms. They can request a lightning or wing spirit attend them if they are available. The closest spirit of Lightning or Wind will attend them, and will perform services for them (see Spirit Binding for suggested services, the strength of the spirit they command should be based on the current weather). If the Cloud Shepherd is unkind to the spirit, it will likely resent them, but many Cloud Shepherds view the spirits as being in their care.
Skydancer: The Cloud Shepherd can step into any wind current and let it carry them for as long as it can. Without this wind they cannot ascend back to the atmospheric home.
A Burning Wheel Monster Every Week